278 



DOMINION OF CANADA. 



Imports of iron and steel and manufactures 

 thereof into the Dominion for home consump- 

 tion for years : 



1863.. 



$H,S55,365 



1869 7,385,780 



1870 7,750,fc67 



1871 10,803,645 



1872 15,913,179 



1873 25,435,020 



1874 20,700,387 



1975 18,199,198 



1876 12,965,117 



1877 11,082,321 



1<?78 ... 



1879 7,962,295 



1880 10,1*8.660 



1881 12,955,855 



1882 17,499,488 



1868 20,080,274 



1884 14,790,727 



1885 11,415,713 



1886 11,053,365 



1887 13,595,046 



Relative value of ten principal exports (home 

 production) from Dominion of Canada, fiscal 

 year 1887: 



Wood and manu- I Fish $6.875,810 



factures $21,106,533 I Furs and hides. . . 2,323.918 



( trains, barley, Eggs 1,825,553 



pease, and flour, 16.001,897 Coal 1,522,272 



Animals 10,461,442 Meats 1.1)94,076 



Cheese 7,108,978 Gold 1,017,401 



The number of post-offices in the successive 

 years has been as follow: In 1868, 3,638; in 

 1869,3,756; in 1870. 3,820; in 1871, 3,943; 

 in 1872, 4,135 ; in 1873, 4,518; in 1874, 4,706 ; 

 in 1875, 4,892; in 1876, 5,015; in 1877, 5,161; 

 in 1878, 5,378; in 1879, 5,696; in 1880, 5,773; 

 in 1881, 5,935 ; in 1882, 6,171 ; in 1883, 6,395 ; 

 in 1884, 6,837 ; in 1885, 7,084 ; in 1886, 7,295 ; 

 in 1887, 7,534. 



The postal revenue in 1868 was $1,024,710 ; 

 and the expenditure, $1,053.570. In 1887 the 

 revenue was $2,603,256, and the expenditure, 

 $3,458,101. 



The total Canadian debt payable in London, 

 July 1, 1887, was as follows : 



Rate of interest. Amount. 



3J per cent $24,333,333 



4 " 140,856,599 



5 " 2,438,833 



6 " 4,052,473 



Total $171,675,736 



Interest paid $6,850,745 



Other statistical tables were submitted, simi- 

 lar to those presented at the previous session, 

 und published in the "Annual Cyclopaedia" 

 for 1887, which contained statistics from 1868 

 to 1886. The figures for 1887 are as follow : 



Deposits by the people in the chartered banks of 

 Canada, $107,154,483. 



Deposits in the savings-banks, $50,944,785. 



Discounts given by the chartered banks, $169,357,- 

 325. 



Total exports of Canada, $89,515,811. 



Shipping employed, not including coasting-vessels, 

 14,317,099 tons register. 



Coasting-trade tonnage employed, 17,513,677 tons 

 register. 



Kail way, mileage, in Canada, 12,292. 



Life insurance in Canada, net amount in force, 

 $191,566,168. 



Fire insurance in Canada, amount at risk in 1887, 

 8*533,523,697; in 1886 (omitted last session), $586,- 

 733,022. 



Business failures in Canada, $16,311,745. 



After referring to the failure of Erastus 

 Wiman's attempt to promote unrestricted reci- 

 procity sentiment in Canada, and deprecating 

 the idea of driving the protected industries into 

 the United States, Sir Charles said : 



I have used a strong term ; I huve said this scheme 

 of unrestricted reciprocity is a folly, a mad folly ; and 

 1 say so for this reason, that if every man in this 

 House was of opinion that Canada should commit sui- 

 cide, as it would have to do by adopting unrestricted 

 reciprocity I say if that was the position of every 

 man of both sides of the House, we would have no 

 more chance 01 obtaining unrestricted reciprocity with 

 the United States than we would have of dictating to 

 the Imperial Parliament who should advise Her Maj- 

 esty's ministers. Not a bit more. I can scarcely 

 find any simile or language that would show the help- 

 lessness and the utter futility of adopting such a poli- 

 cy. This subject has been discussed now for many 

 months, it has been put forth in the most captivating 

 form by the ablest men on the opposite side of the 

 House, both in this House and abroad through the 

 country, and they have found papers so wanting in 

 information and so blindly subservient to party in- 

 fluences as to advocate their scheme and what has 

 been the result? Why, point me to a paper in the 

 United States, Republican or Democratic, Mugwump 

 or anything else show me a single paper possessing 

 the slightest influence in that country that would ever 

 give support to a scheme which would take away the 

 barriers between the trade of Canada and the trade of 

 the United States, and leave Canada free to admit the 

 products of England. 



Sir, we have the most abundant evidence that it is 

 only necessary for us to have confidence in ourselves, 

 and to devote ourselves unsparingly in the future to 

 the great task of developing the inexhaustible re- 

 sources of this country. Then, whenever the time 

 comes that we shall have the management of these 

 matters entirely in our own hands, we shall be able 

 to enter upon even terms into negotiations with other 

 countries for the extension of our commercial rela- 

 tions. I say, sir, that we not only have the advan- 

 tage of this" great domain, with its inexhaustible re- 

 sources, but we have over us the flag of the mightest 

 empire in the world, and under its aegis we can go 

 forth with greater confidence than any man can pos- 

 sess, representing a community of only five millions of 

 people, we can go forth knowing that in the remotest 

 section of the world that flag is waving over our heads, 

 that there are behind us an army, a navy, and a moral 

 force of a great empire that will give Canada all the 

 protection that she can desire. Sir, under these cir- 

 cumstances, to throw away our birthright for a mess 

 of pottage, to go looking'for commercial reciprocity 

 with a foreign country. even if we could obtain it, I 

 say a policy of that k'ind would be, in my opinion, to 

 make us forget what Canadians never will forget, the 

 gratitude they owe to the great empire of wnicn we 

 form a part, and the duty of building up on this 

 northern portion of the continent of America, a power 

 to which every Canadian will feel proud to belong. 



Unrestricted Reciprocity. The principal debate 

 of the session was on the question of unrestrict- 

 ed reciprocity between Canada and the United 

 States. 



Sir Kichard'Cartwright (Liberal) moved, on 

 March 14: 



That it is highly desirable that the largest possible 

 freedom of commercial intercourse should obtain be- 

 tween the Dominion of Canada and the United States, 

 and that it is expedient that all articles manufactured 

 in, or the natural products of either of the said coun- 

 tries should be admitted free of duty into the ports of 

 the other (articles subject to duties of excise or of in- 

 ternal revenue alone excepted). That it is further ex- 

 pedient that the Government of the Dominion should 

 take steps at an early date to ascertain on what terms 

 and conditions arrangements can be effected with the 

 United States for the purpose of securing full and un- 

 restricted reciprocity of trade therewith. 



Hon. Mr. Foster (Minister of Marine and Fish- 

 eries) moved in amendment : 



